What will Mariners do with No. 2 pick? Rendon seems likely

“There’s some good college players and some good high school players,” said McNamara, the Seattle Mariners’ director of amateur scouting, asked about the variety of prospects in this year’s Major League Baseball draft, which begins Monday at 4 p.m. PT.

“I know it’s a boring answer, but it’s very well balanced.”

And how about the mix of pitchers and position players?

“There’s a couple hitters and a couple good pitchers,” McNamara said.

Well, there you have it. The trick for the Mariners will be finding one of them with the No. 2 overall pick, which they hold for the second time in the past three years.

And unlike two years ago, when the Mariners used the second overall choice on North Carolina star Dustin Ackley, their future second baseman and no-brainer pick as the best position player in that year’s draft, their direction this season isn’t quite as obvious.

McNamara says the team has narrowed their first-round pick options to four or five players, using the final days before the draft to fine-tune their draft board and decide which prospects they value more than others.

This year’s top-of-the-draft positioning also differs from 2009 because the No. 1 pick isn’t as clear-cut. In 2009, Stephen Strasburg was the consensus top choice, and the Washington Nationals chose him at the top spot before the Mariners took Ackley.

Not that this year is all that much of a mystery. It’s thought by many that the Pittsburgh Pirates will opt for UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole, who struck out 119 batters in 16 starts while compiling a 6-8 record with a 3.38 ERA.

If the Pirates do wind up with Cole, it’s widely thought that Anthony Rendon will be the Mariners’ pick, though McNamara insisted the Mariners aren’t quite positive yet as to who they’ll take at No. 2.

They could certainly do worse than Rendon, a third baseman from Rice who won the NCAA’s National Freshman of the Year award in 2009 and is hitting .327 with 58 runs, 20 doubles and a .523 slugging percentage, all team highs.

He comes with a warning tag, though. A shoulder strain forced Rendon into designated hitter duties for much of this year, and he also broke his ankle last summer while playing with Team USA.

But while McNamara mentioned that Seattle always does its due diligence when it comes to injured prospects, he also seems confident enough that the injuries haven’t hampered Rendon’s ability to play his natural position. Or, at least, they haven’t hampered Seattle’s ability to evaluate his glove.

“We’ve seen Anthony play a lot of third base,” McNamara said.

Should the Mariners opt for pitching with the No. 2 pick, some options include right-hander Dylan Bundy, a high schooler from Oklahoma; Danny Hultzen, a lefty from Virginia; and Trevor Bauer, a righty who pitched with Cole at UCLA.

McNamara said the distinction between high school and college isn’t a big issue for him, and the Mariners simply plan to take the best available player on their board — regardless of position — when it comes time for them to pick.

That certainly makes sense. Major League teams don’t need to weigh their immediate needs as heavily as NFL or NBA teams, because a draft pick typically isn’t going to come in and have an immediate impact on the team’s win-loss record.

“You can build your club around those high school players,” McNamara said. “But you’ve got the quick to the big leagues college guys. We’re picking two, we’re in a good spot to pick a good player. That’s all I can tell you.”

Another certainty: the Mariners brass will be far more talkative when that pick is actually made.